Week 4 - Cultural Exchange/Environmental Hopes (February 21)

[Brendon McGirr]

I really focused on the read China's would be Parents and Climate Change. This topic hits close to home personally, as it is something I struggle with looking at my own short and long term plans. When I consider these specific concerns, I was not aware how big an issue Chinese citizens view climate change and the standard of living. I really only attributed it to Western nations, which maybe shows my own personal bias. It does bring an interesting discussion on how does China deal with this, considering they are already in a difficult population predicament. The effects of the One Child Policy combined with the aging population are challenging on their own, how does reludence due to an uncertain future exacerbate this? During our discussion this week we talked about how promotion is mostly attributed to economic gains. Does China need to rethink their priorities if 41% of young Chinese citizens are hesitant to have children, or do you lump that into economic concerns? In addition, how does China continue its rapid economic increase (combined with the promised increase standard of living for its citizens) while also lowering their carbon footprint? And how much should the environmental stability of China be viewed as a global issue, as its large population and production provide so much for the world? My final thought is will China reconsider how they negociate with the world going forward, as they prefer a unilateral approach, but climate change will require a multilateral international response.

[Indira Engel]

This presentation shed light on so many fascinating aspects regarding China's non-industrial side. Obermann's introduction was very poignant, illustrating my own misconceptions. I would have never thought of the landscape looking so similar to that of the US. It was also surprising to learn that China’s national park system is relatively new, and that, like many other parts of the world, they too have the issue of what to do with the people who rely on poaching for sustainability. I wondered about some of the abbreviations used in the video, and found clarification on a National Science Review article (Beginning: China’s national park system).

During last week’s lecture, there was mention of Chinese fishing near the Galápagos and other international waters near other South American countries (also mentioned in the Obermann Q&A). I wonder whether these countries’ unified efforts to protect their local fishing industry will pan out given that Chinese fleets outnumber their navy resources.

[clay dube]

Hi Folks,

Even though China is by far the top emitter these days, it will still take a generation before its total cumulative emissions surpass those of the U.S. The Washington Post today published a nice animated chart showing this.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2023/global-warming-carbon-emissions-china-us/

[clay dube]

This website has information about national parks in China and elsewhere: https://national-parks.org/china
Here's a collection of academics commenting on national park plans: https://academic.oup.com/nsr/article/9/10/nwac150/6653241
 

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